Documentation

When backing up a file that is being written, it is impossible to guarantee the integrity of a backup copy of that file. This is typical for backing up documents that are actively being edited, etc. To handle these scenarios, Microsoft Windows uses the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) technology that lets users make backup copies of files or volumes, even when they are in use.

Installation

A: Now MSP360 Backup is available on macOS. You can download and learn more using this link. We support macOS starting from 10.8.x and only 64 bit.

Q: Does MSP360 Backup support the Linux platform?

A: You can learn more about MSP360 Backup for Linux and even download its 15-day trial version. Currently, it is running on Ubuntu 12/14/16; Suse 11/12; Red Hat 6.x/7.x; Fedora 12/21; CentOS 6/7; Oracle Linux 6.x/7.x and Debian 7.11/8.10/9.3.

Licensing

Q: If I purchase one license can I activate MSP360 Backup on two computers?

A: MSP360 Backup is licensed per computer. If you want to run it on two computers you need to buy two licenses.

Q: How can I move a license to another computer?

A: To move the software to another server you will need to release the license in the Help menu on the old computer, then you can use it on the new computer.

Q: I am a non-profit. How can I get a free license?

A: We have been running a free license program for 3 years without much success. Now Individuals related to non-profit and education are eligible for a 30% discount which is still substantial. Fill in the form to request a discount.

In very special cases, like a student from a developing country asking for a license, we can still consider granting it for free.

Also, a non-profit organization has to contact us directly, we don't grant licenses to individuals and companies serving non-profits. Although we can discuss certain discounts.

Q: I am a blogger. How can I get a free license?

A: Download our software, evaluate it and make a blog post about it. Every product comes with a 15-day trial fully functional license. Once you made a blog post, fill in this form. We will grant you a license and post a link to your blog on the Media Coverage section of our website.

Q: How much does it cost to use MSP360 Backup?

A: MSP360 Backup is a one-time fee product. For example, Desktop Edition costs $49.99 (US) and Windows Server Edition license is $119.99. You can find all the licenses under this link.

You also have to pay cloud storage and transfer fees separately. Check out our Backup Cost Calculator to estimate your costs.

A: MSP360 Lab is rapidly updating their products. To take advantage of updates you have to pay 20% of the initial price. Note, that you can use the previous version indefinitely if you don't like to upgrade.

Q: What does a network location mean?

A: A network location is a network share (defined by a UNC path) such as \\computer1\share\ or a mapped drive linked to a network share.

Q: What is the difference between Ultimate, Server and Desktop edition when it comes down to network locations?

A: You need MSP360 Backup Ultimate edition if you want to back up data from multiple computers using network shares (UNC paths) such as \\computer1\share\. In the Server edition, you are limited to 1 network shares, in the Desktop edition to 1 network share, while in the Ultimate version it is unlimited.

Q: What does 1TB or 5TB storage limit mean?

A: 1TB or 5TB limit means that you can at any time have at most 1TB or 5TB of data on the cloud account managed by MSP360 Backup. E.g. you can upload 800 GB, then another 200GB, delete 300GB but you can't exceed the limit. Consider this way we are making our product affordable for users with lower storage requirements.

Make sure to release the license in the Help menu before applying for the upgrade coupon.

Q: Do you limit the functionality in the trial version of the product?

A: No, the trial version comes with the same functionality as a paid version. If you have any issues with it turn to support.

Configuration

Q: What do I need to start using MSP360 Backup?

A: You need to have an account from one of the supported providers. For instance, it takes just a couple of minutes to get one on the Amazon S3 website.

Q: Can I integrate MSP360 Backup with my other routines?

A: Yes, we have a command-line interface and a C# API. Each provided with documentation and examples. There is even a test app to demonstrate C# API capabilities

Q: Can MSP360 Backup use the NAS device as a backup destination?

A: Yes, and you can learn more about this option and how to set custom credentials for network locations here

Q: Can MSP360 Backup copy the data immediately as it changes (e.g. new files are added or existing files are modified)?

A: Yes, this is what we call Real-time backup. You can select this option in the Backup Wizard Scheduling step. By using a low-level Windows API this feature comes with zero impact on your computer performance However check out the limitations. In most cases, scheduled backup is a preferred method.

Usage

A: MSP360 Backup offers optional data compression that helps to lower transfer and storage costs significantly. Besides MSP360 Backup only copies files that have been changed since the last backup, thus transfer and storage costs should be minimum required

Q: How does MSP360 Backup secure my data?

A: MSP360 Backup offers several industry-standard strong encryption algorithms to protect your data. Also, you can optionally protect access to MSP360 Backup with a master password. Besides, we support Server-Side Encryption for storage classes that have implemented this feature.

Q: How does the master password work?

A: The master password helps you protect your backup files from unauthorized access. Only someone who knows the master password can start MSP360 Backup. The master password is optional and off by default

Q: Does MSP360 Backup copy all files every time it runs?

A: No, MSP360 Backup identifies files modified since the last backup and only copies such files. This makes subsequent backups run much faster

Q: How does MSP360 Backup recognize modified files?

A: We are using timestamps to identify modified files

Q: Can MSP360 Backup copy only modify portions of the file? I want to backup my Outlook PST file, but it is 2GB and I don't want to copy the whole file every time.

A: This is called block-level backup and it is fully supported with MSP360 Backup Desktop edition and any other version of MSP360 Backup

Q: Does MSP360 Backup keep older versions of the file?

A: Yes, and this feature gives you an ability to restore a file to a certain point in the past.

Q: Can I control how many versions of the file to keep?

A: Yes, you can control how many versions to keep using Purge Options. Check out here for more details.

Q: If I delete a file on my local computer with the “Delete files that have been deleted locally” option enabled is it deleted from the backup storage as well?

A: Yes, the file will be deleted from the online storage too. By default, though, the file will remain in the online storage for 30 days to prevent accidental deletions. We call it Smart Delete and you can learn more about it here

Troubleshooting

Q: I am restoring the files on another computer. I have connected to my S3 account and bucket, but I don't see the files.>

A: Register the same Amazon S3 account and choose the same bucket and the prefix in advanced settings. By default, the prefix is your old computer name. Specify the same encryption password as you used to back up the files. If you don't see the files which is unlikely, try to synchronize the database, go to Tools | Options | Advanced and click Synchronize Repository.

Q: The program does not appear to start when I start the computer.

A: MSP360 Backup operates as a Windows Service. There is no need for the console to run when the computer starts and it doesn't have to run at all. You only need it for configuration and restore. The service will do the entire job.

Q: The folders selected under the backup plan contain around 4000 files, but the "Files copied" field under the backup progress bar indicates that there are only 1000 files (says, e.g. 166 of 1000).

A: MSP360 Backup will copy the files in the chunks of 1000. Once the first 1000 is ready we will start the second one. Don't worry about that.

Q: I am trying to backup to a Network Share and I face the “Path not found” error. What should I do?

A: It seems like you should change the credentials for this Network Share: go Tools > Network Credentials within the backup client and make sure the credentials are valid.

A: Not at the moment, but we're working on it and it will be there with version 1.8.

Q: How does MSP360 Remote Assistant minimize my costs?

A: MSP360 Remote Assistant is an advanced remote desktop tool, which is under rapid development and comes free of charge for both individual and commercial tool.

Q: How does MSP360 Remote Assistant secure my data?

A: All the interaction with our servers used for license activation and sending diagnostics to go through the SSL-encrypted connection by default. Communication with the remote desktop, however, is not encrypted by default, but you may change this setting in Options-->Encryption. After this change all the data transferred will be encrypted using the 256-bit AES algorithm, ensuring that malefactors will fail to extract any sensitive data from the data stream.

A: Please press the menu button and choose the “Generate invitation link” in case you are connecting to the presenter or “Send Invitation” in case you are the presenter. Learn more in our Knowledge Base article.

Troubleshooting

Q: Disconnect details: io client disconnect.

A: This message means that the destination PC is not running Remote Assistant or is turned off at the moment. Also, please double-check the ID of the destination PC. Learn more in our Knowledge Base article.

Q: Connection request failed: client connection failed.

A: This error message means that the remote client refused to connect when prompted. Learn more in our Knowledge Base article.

A: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all residents within the European Union. It requires businesses to protect the personal data and privacy of EU citizens. It also requires that companies have appropriate data security in place to protect personal data. The GDPR comes into force on May 25, 2018.

Q: Whom does the GDPR affect?

A: The GDPR not only applies to companies located within the EU but it also applies to companies located outside of the EU if they offer services to, or monitor the behavior of, EU data subjects.

Q: Is MSP360™ compliant with GDPR requirements?

A: Yes.

Q: Does MSP360™ collect and process personal data?

A: Yes. Being a service provider we require some personal information to identify you as a customer.

Q: What personal data does MSP360™ collect and hold?

A: The categories are as follows: First and last name, email, phone number, company name, and location. You are requested to specify a set of personal data and agree to submit it to us to provide you with selected products and services.

Q: What are the purposes of the processing?

A: The requested personal information is necessary for providing registration and to personally identify you as a customer for our services, products, and offerings. It may be collected and used for a sign-up or licensing form, a webinar/demo/call back request, whitepaper or case study request, or for gathering diagnostic logs.

Q: Where do you store customer information (e.g. email, name)?

A: The account information is stored and secured in data centers located in the United States. Note: Data from customer backups is stored on the customer’s own backup storage (e.g. Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Storage, local disk, etc.). All data transfers are encrypted and customers can elect to use data encryption for best security.

Q: What are the recipients to whom the personal data has / will be disclosed?

A: We may disclose your personal information to trusted third parties who act for or on our behalf for further processing (such as storage or payment systems) and if we determine that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with the law. In all other cases, we don’t share or distribute your personal data.

Q: How long does MSP360™ intend to store collected personal data?

A: Personal data is stored as long as you use our service. Once you decide to stop using the service, we can completely remove the account from our service database. Also, you can ask to restrict processing in accordance with data protection laws, as well as to object to any direct marketing from us and to be informed about any automated notifications that we use. You can elect not to receive marketing communications by following the unsubscribe instruction in such communications. For questions about your personal information retention, please contact gdpr@msp360.com. We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days.

Q: How to control changes of personal information?

A: If your personal information changes, please contact us at gdpr@msp360.com. We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days. For registered MSP360 Managed Backup Service customers, we provide web console where customers can review, update and correct personal information in your account profile.

Q: How does MSP360™ secure my data?

A: By submitting personal information (like name, address, company name, email, and phone), you consent for transferring, storing and processing of such information by MSP360™. We provide the security of your personal information by using an SSL certificate on transfers and we store the provided information on secure servers provided by Amazon.

Q: Contact us

A: If you have any queries or questions about our compliance with the GDPR, please email us at gdpr@msp360.com.

MSP360 has started implementing MSP360 Backup C# API in addition to the existing command-line interface to help other vendors integrate MSP360 Backup with their products and the customers to integrate MSP360 Backup with other internal routines.

MSP360 Explorer offers PowerShell extension to manage file operations across Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Amazon Glacier and file system. Windows PowerShell is a command-line shell that helps IT professionals to easily control system and accelerate automation. It includes several system administration utilities, improved navigation of common management data such as the registry, certificate store, or WMI, etc. Continue reading

We have decided to deprecate our dedup server for now. The alternative is a client-side dedup that we will release in the near future. Check out this article for more information: https://kb.msp360.com/managed-backup-service/the-new-client-side-deduplication

Q: What’s new in MSP360 Dedup Server 2.0?

A: We simplified data transferring methods - namely, you no longer need to use intermediate network shares for client backups; all data is going directly to the dedup service.

Q: What storage does MSP360 Dedup Server support?

A: It works with multiple cloud-based data storage like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and many other cloud platforms.

A: In the current version no, connections are established on demand. However, we are working over some features that may be required (or it would be preferred) to maintain the connection.

Q: Does MSP360 Dedup Server have a PostgreSQL database that keeps track of everything related to deduplication?

A: A PostgreSQL database is used to store deduplication metadata. The database is an essential part and losing it means losing all backed up data, because it's impossible to generate original files from deduplicated data without the database

Q: What will be the size of Dedup ‘intermediate’ storage in the future? Is it a copy of data stored in the cloud, or is it only an index file related to the cloud storage, yet much smaller? How much space do I need to allocate the ‘intermediate’ storage as compared to the overall size of backed up data before and after deduplication?

A: The Intermediate storage is currently used only to combine sets of blocks (called Mediasets) before uploading to a cloud. The Mediaset size is limited to 4GB by default. Once the 4GB file is ready, it goes to the cloud and then it is removed from the Intermediate storage. We also have added a force upload timer, which allows Dedup to send data to the storage without checking its size. If you want to use this option, go to the Advanced tab of Dedup Server.

Q: What is the function of Dedup Server ‘repository backup’? Is it a backup of actual data sent by MSP360 Backups, or is it a backup of its configuration, or is it a backup of the ‘intermediate’ storage?

A: The repository backup makes backups of the PostgreSQL database that contains all dedup metadata. Without this information all deduplicated data is useless.

Q: In case my computers are gone out in flames, how do I setup MSP360 Dedup Server on a new computer to be able to restore data from the cloud? How do I setup MSP360 Backup on a new computer to restore backed up data from the previous computer, which is dead and gone?

A: In case of disaster, you shall act as follows.On the server:

Install the Dedup Server on a new computer

Run the “Restore MSP360 Dedup Server” shortcut

Configure your cloud account

Run a repository restore

Start MSP360 Dedup Server service

On the client computer:

Install MSP360 Backup

Configure new Dedup Server account and click 'Advanced Settings'

Select the name of your crashed computer as a Backup Prefix

Then the repository synchronization process will start and when it is completed you'll able to see the backed up files on the Backup Storage tab.

MSP360 presents enhanced MSP360 Drive – application for Windows which allows mounting cloud storage as a local drive. Now MSP360 Drive can be installed and configured via the Windows Command Line interface. Continue reading